Business Standard

America begins tryst with destiny, again

On Day 1, Biden to undo Trump’s Muslim travel ban, Mexico border wall

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US SET TO REJOIN WHO AMID PANDEMIC TO SIGN AT LEAST 15 EXECUTIVE ORDERS

President Joe Biden plans to begin immediatel­y unwinding former President Trump’s policies on immigratio­n, climate, and other issues with at least 15 executive actions, including moves to reverse US withdrawal­s from the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organizati­on (WHO), and stop constructi­on of a border wall. The Day One agenda includes:

Re-engaging with the WHO

Biden plans to immediatel­y rejoin the WHO, which Trump exited in May, saying China exerted too much pressure on the agency. Mask mandate on US properties

The new president’s mask mandate will require face coverings and physical distancing for everyone in federal buildings and on federal lands.

Easing burden of student loans

Another action will pause the accrual of interest and principal payments on federal student loans until September 30.

Rejoining the climate agreement

Biden will make several initial moves to restore efforts by the Obama administra­tion to combat climate change, including re-joining the Paris accord.

No more money for wall

Biden is expected to repeal the national emergency on the Us-mexico border, halting funding for Trump’s signature border wall that symbolised his crackdown on undocument­ed immigrants.

Scrapping the Muslim travel ban

The administra­tion is also scrapping Trump’s travel ban on several West Asian, Central Asian, and African countries, most of them with majority Muslim population­s, that the outgoing

PTI

president had deemed terrorist threats.

Bolstering the DACA programme

Biden will seek to strengthen the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme that provides deportatio­n protection­s to immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.

New protection­s against discrimina­tion

Biden will sign an executive order prohibitin­g workplace discrimina­tion based on gender identity and sexual orientatio­n.

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